TMU 2024 International Public Health Summit: Living as a Global Citizen in Post COVID-19 Era
Source: College of Public Health
Published on 2024-12-19
Focusing on “Creating a Sustainable and Healthy Future,” Taipei Medical University (TMU) College of Public Health co-organized the 2024 International Public Health Summit with Mahidol University (MU) both on-site and online, inviting experts from Japan, Australia, America, and Thailand to share their values on the issues of the day.

Numerous experts from diverse fields graced the summit, including (from left to right): Director Chih-Ching Yeh, Dr. Tanarak Plipat, Dean Feng-Jen Tsai, Dr. Ogawa Kento, Dean Yi-Hua Chen, Dr. Gregory Kolt, President Mai-Szu Wu, Mr. Shi-Zhong Chen, Executive Vice President Kang-Yun Lee, Chair Prof. Po-Chang Lee, Prof. Hung-Yi Chiou, Dean Nai-Wen Kuo, Vice Dean Chyi-Huey Bai, and Vice Dean Hsing Jasmine Chao
The morning session focused on the ongoing impact of COVID-19 on public health. Experts from Japan and Thailand shared their national policies and experiences during the pandemic. Shi-Zhong Chen, the former Minister of the Central Epidemic Command Center, discussed Taiwan’s strategies and experiences in managing the pandemic. He particularly mentioned that in 2020, the nation’s prudent policies on facial mask-wearing and border controls during the pandemic brought a noticeable decline in the number of annual deaths compared to the previous year. Additionally, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, although hospital utilization rose during the peak of COVID-19, it remained less than that from 2015 to 2019, highlighting Taiwan’s unwavering endeavor in controlling the pandemic.
In the following session, the summit revolved around the topic of the relationship between global partnership and international medicine. TMU presented its consistent commitment to eliminating medical inequality. First, TMU Shuang Ho Hospital International Medical Service Center shares its policy to make every international patient feel relaxed and at home. Following are TMU’s student service teams, including TMU FLYoung International service and TMU overseas educational tours, sharing their learning experiences in providing free medical service in the Marshall Islands, Cambodia, and Thailand. Students reflected on their experience that it wasn’t just simply medical service but a chance for them to learn foreign cultures and unfamiliar healthcare systems, expanding their horizons to the world.
Mahidol University (MU) then took the host and shared their research outcome on the health condition of migrant workers. MU seized the chance to explore on the equality of gender and health condition, focusing on the current health and safety condition of migrant workers.
The summit concluded with the exploration of the nexus of health and environmental sustainability, disease prevention, and risk mitigation, covering topics such as plant-based diets, food safety, climate change, and cognitive neuroscience.
TMU believes that fostering international and interdisciplinary collaboration is essential for addressing current public health challenges, ultimately contributing to a healthier and more sustainable world. Hence, TMU cherishes every opportunity of communication and experience sharing with international experts. In the future, TMU will keep creating chances of communication and establishing a healthy living environment.